Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 466 The Arrival of the Secret Realm
[Mission ID]: D-93662
[Type]: Survey
[Reward]: 500-1000 Gold / 15-30 Points
[Task Summary]:
Recently, a large number of exotic items of unknown origin have been circulating in the market, suggesting that ancient ruins have emerged near Twin Valleys. Adventurers with relevant experience in handling such items are needed to investigate and write a report.

[Limited Time]: 45 days

[Additional Information]:
If any special discoveries are made, the task level and rewards may be upgraded depending on the specific circumstances.

……

……

This is the quest that the Blade of Vengeance accepted from the Adventurers' Guild.

The prefix "D" in the task number indicates the task level, and the task rewards are also within the range that should be given for this level.

The maximum reward is 1000 gold, which is a very generous income for most adventurers in Barracuda Bay.

Even seasoned adventurers with a professional level above lv5 wouldn't find it too few.

The Blade of Vengeance has a large crew, including eight core professionals, including newcomers Xia Nan and Alton.

With 1000 gold coins, the average income per person would be just over 100 gold coins.

Not to mention that a significant portion of it needs to be set aside as extra pay for other ordinary crew members on board, as well as subsidies for living expenses.

The round trip, plus the time for rest and missions, takes almost half a month, but the actual amount received is likely to be less than three digits.

For adventurers of job level 3 or above, this income is undoubtedly below average.

Especially in a coastal port like Suyu Bay, an adventure town with plenty of opportunities.

While the team atmosphere on the Blade of Vengeance is good, it is built on the stable and positive relationships among the core members of the team.

They are indeed companions, but to some extent, their relationship is only slightly better than that of "colleagues," and certainly not at the level of "family" who would be willing to give their lives for each other.

Without sufficient and stable income to support the team, the seemingly stable morale will soon crumble, and the team will disband in just a few days.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Lorraine would not accept this type of investigation task, which has low pay and takes a long time.

But the situation is different now.

On one hand, this commission, officially issued by the Adventurers' Guild, is ostensibly a D-rank mission, but the "additional information" clearly states that if there are any special discoveries, the mission level and actual rewards will be upgraded depending on the specific circumstances.

This also means that if ancient ruins do indeed emerge near Twin Valleys, the benefits for the Oath of Vengeance fleet will be far more than what is currently known.

Moreover, to some extent, even without the mission rewards from the association, the allure of the "ancient ruins" themselves would be enough to entice Lorraine to investigate them personally.

On the other hand, it was also due to Captain Lorraine's own reasons.

As mentioned earlier, this operation was an impromptu action, not part of the plan, and even disrupted the crew's leave.

What Lorraine is truly interested in may not be the ruins themselves, but some other unknown thing; accepting the association's commission is just a side benefit.

Xia Nan had previously probed this point with the other party.

The only information they received was that Lorraine and Edson were siblings.

There is no idea why the two of them are both interested in this area of ​​the sea.

Standing on the deck, recalling the mission information, Xia Nan pondered.

He has never revealed the existence of the attribute panel or the secret of his identity as a visitor from another world to anyone, and he never will.

Therefore, even though the information about the scalpel revealed that it was a creation from a secret realm in another world, and that the "ancient ruins" mentioned in the mission description were actually likely a secret realm in another world, Xia Nan did not tell anyone else.

The canyon was unusually quiet.

Every crew member on the Blade of Vengeance noticed this and prepared for battle at Lorraine's warning.

With their attention highly focused, the wooden boat sailed deeper and deeper into the canyon along the strangely colored waterway in the middle of the canyon, and finally docked at the pier located deep in the canyon.

The oppressive and somber atmosphere made the sailors less excited than usual, even though they had been on land for a long time. Instead, they quickly set up defensive measures under Lorraine's command.

There's definitely something wrong with Twin Canyon.

Under normal circumstances, a canyon inhabited by a large number of sea people year-round would never be as desolate and quiet as it is now.

Several baskets of rotten, stinking fish lay on the wooden planks in the corner of the dock, with a few congealed brownish-red bloodstains visible nearby. The once bustling dock was deserted, with only a few dilapidated fishing boats scattered around, their rhythmic collisions with the waves and the dock's pillars producing a crisp sound.

Lorraine released the helm with both hands, went to the deck, and frowned.

Something was wrong in the canyon, and the original plan was disrupted.

They need to actually confirm what happened here before they can determine whether the mission can continue.

Given the unclear situation and the possibility of an attack by an unknown enemy, she naturally wouldn't send ordinary sailors, who would be powerless against monsters, off the ship. Instead, she left all the ordinary crew members on the Blade of Vengeance.

As a vital vessel, the safety of the Blade of Vengeance was of paramount importance, so she also had the brothers, Ryan and Gordon, stay behind to guard the ship.

He then led several other professionals, including Xia Nan, off the ship to explore the surrounding area.

"Be careful, don't let your guard down."

Lorraine gave serious instructions to the crew members who remained on deck.

After saying that, he turned to face the twin brothers:

"You two also need to be careful. If you notice anything unusual, remember to send a signal immediately. We will come back as soon as we hear it."

Twin Canyons may appear magnificent, but in reality, both sides are towering cliffs.

The dock where the Blade of Vengeance is located is nestled between rock walls. Even the slightest noise can be heard by the explorers, who can then return to provide timely support, no matter how far away they are.

After carefully giving her a few more instructions, Lorraine led Xia Nan and the others, who were already prepared, down the gangway.

Located in the unique environment of Twin Valleys, the dock inside is not very large; you can see the end of it at a glance.

No one is empty.

They couldn't get any useful information, only judging from the scattered bloodstains on the ground that a battle might have taken place here.

After discussing it, the group decided to continue upwards, hoping to find one or two local residents to find out what had happened.

In an unfamiliar environment where dangers might lurk, the group that went out to investigate naturally formed a battle formation.

Centered on the druid Hein, at the very front was the tattooed, burly man Arken, who was a Barbarian, with Captain Lorraine slightly behind;
Alton, a smaller player also in the back row, was positioned further back than Hein, while Shanan and Sasha, the spotted cat, protected the flanks while staying behind.

The group of six proceeded cautiously forward.

The human settlements in Twin Canyons offer a significantly better living environment than the fishing villages on Hare Island and Cliff Isle. Due to the unique environment of the canyons, there are very few wooden buildings to be seen from the outside; people live in caves perched on the cliffs, connected by corridors.

Xia Nan remembered seeing a similar way of life in her previous life. Now, encountering something so similar in another world, she remained vigilant but also found it interesting.

But just as everyone was climbing the spiral staircase carved by the locals, from the dock to the living area...

Strange things began to happen.

It was a huge glass rose window.

Composed of countless pieces of colored glass, deep red, dark blue, emerald green, and brilliant gold... dreamy and magnificent, with intricate and beautiful patterns painted on the surface of the window frame.

Xia Nan had certainly seen similar things before.

The churches in Newme and Giethoorn both have similar stained glass windows.

The sheer size of the walls, almost covering an entire area, and the dazzling, vibrant colors, combined with the sunlight during the day and the church's solemnity, create a breathtakingly sacred atmosphere.

Under normal circumstances, no adventurer in the party would be unfamiliar with this type of stained glass window.

Strangely, this lattice window is now forcibly embedded in the wall.

Yes, behind it is neither the dazzling sunlight nor the vast, flat blue sea.

Instead, it was a bare stone wall with nothing on it.

With no light source, no scenery, and situated on a stone staircase corridor leading from the dock to the living area, what is the significance of this latticed window?
Is it simply for decoration?

Even if the people in the canyon live well, Xia Nan doesn't think they are wealthy enough to casually use such a large floral window as a wall decoration.

"These patterns don't resemble the styles popular in the Southern Islands."

Hein leaned closer to examine the window frame carefully, and said meaningfully.

Xia Nan didn't have much talent in art, but after hearing what the other person said, he looked over.

He noticed that the regular, neat, and intricately stacked oval patterns on the surface of the window frame were something he had never seen in Suoyu Bay.

His keen perception allowed him to focus his attention and discover other details.

—This lattice window appears to be framed and embedded in the wall, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the window itself is not flat, but rather angled into the wall surface in a way that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

A thought suddenly struck Xia Nan, who took two steps forward, squatted down amidst the surprised gazes of his teammates, and touched the bottom window frame with his right hand.

Pinch it, then apply force.

"Crench!"

The wooden planks broke, and he simply tore off the window frame, which was carved with intricate patterns.

as predicted!

Just as Xia Nan had guessed, it was like a sandwich cake. When he tore off the protruding window frame, what he found inside was not the stone wall that should have been there, but a layer of wood fiber that was deeply embedded in the sea rock.

The window frame and the wall were integrated together.

Looking at the strange scene at the connection point, Xia Nan suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

It felt like I'd seen the same scene somewhere before.

"how is this possible?"

Behind him, the bald, burly man, Aken, carrying his anchor-shaped giant axe, spoke up instinctively.

"How did these fishermen manage to combine stones and wood? Could there be a sorcerer living here?"

The group was puzzled by the way the window was connected to the wall, but after a brief discussion, they found no other clues and continued upwards, following the steps to the fishermen's living area on the cliff.

As the group of six ventured deeper into the area, the frequency of encountering bizarre scenes increased.

There are hinges connecting to the stone walls, and a wooden door hanging inexplicably on the rock face; there are flying buttresses protruding diagonally from inside the walls without any support; there are metal railings spanning the interior, their purpose unknown...

The most eye-catching feature is a half-built stone tower located in one of the largest hollows in the residential area.

The entire structure is built of gray-white bricks and stones that are completely different from the surrounding sea rocks. It looks exceptionally sturdy. There are several small arrow slits on the walls, which are narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, allowing people to shoot out from the inside. The top is a square crenellated wall that looks like teeth. The stone corridor behind it is for guards to walk through.

Typically, this type of tower is found in key border locations and is used for surveillance and defense against enemies.

But now, it has been strangely built deep inside a cave, far from the entrance.

It's hard to imagine how it could actually work.

What's even more confusing is that it's only half.

And it was the half that was cut vertically.

The original cylindrical structure was intact in the front half, but the rear half was completely embedded in the bare stone wall.

Frankly speaking, such construction is even more difficult than normal construction.

Just as the people on the field were becoming increasingly confused, Xia Nan suddenly thought of something.

The items are filled with exotic styles, the buildings seem to appear out of nowhere and are completely different from their surroundings, and the way objects are connected to each other is like a clipping bug in a game...

His expression suddenly turned strange.

Isn't this a sign that a secret realm is about to descend?

Xia Nan has not experienced many secret realms, some of which are of the type where only items are passed down, such as the Newmu Sheep Deer Statue.

However, in the other places, including the Giant Serpent Cave where I obtained the [Green Pine] and [Copper Bones and Iron Bones], and the Ember Ash Valley where I obtained the [Echoes of Ember] and [Molten Ash Silver Ingots], I encountered a large number of unique buildings from the secret realms.

The sense of déjà vu was so strong that he couldn't help but become more vigilant.

Typically, the appearance of a secret realm is accompanied by danger.

Before the Serpent Cave, there are numerous venomous snakes, scorpions, and petrified lizards scattered throughout the bushes and grasses; inside the Ashenvale ruins, there are powerful mummified knights.

If the village in this canyon were to truly merge with the secret realm, who knows what might emerge? He needs to be even more careful.

As Xia Nan's mind raced, wondering what kind of exotic background the secret realm they were currently encountering might have come from.

Not far in front of him, the halfling Alton seemed to have noticed something. He lowered his voice and called out to the people around him:
"Hey, here! Look here!"

(End of this chapter)